Governor for steam-engines



No. 6|2,443.v

Y Patented Oct. I8, |898. E. B. THOBBURN.

GOVERNOR FUR STEAM ENGINES. v (Applicatah led June l, 1897.) (No Model.)

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EDWIN n. THORBURN, oF- HIcI-irs'rown, NEwJERsEY.

GOVERNOR FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 612,443, dated October18, 1898. Application filed 1111161, 1897. Serial No. 639,022- (NOmOdel-l To ctZl whom tima/y concern: j A.

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. THORBURN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hightstown, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Governors VforSteam-Engines, of which the following is a full and completespecification, such as`will enable those skilled in the art to which itap'- less of the condition under which it is operated and which isadapted to prevent variation in the operation thereof, which isfrequently occasioned by the rolling of the vessel in rough weather, andin which these and other desired objects are accomplished by means ofair-pressure, as hereinafter described.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specificatiomof whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovement are designated by the same numerals of reference in each ofthe views, and in which-d Figure 1 is a sectional side view of myimproved governor, and Fig. 2 a section on the line 2 2. ,j

In the drawings forming part of this speciication, reference being madeto Fig. 2, I have shown at 5 a steam-pipe by means of which steam isconveyed to the cylinder of the engine, and said pipe is composed'of twosections which are provided at their ends` with flanges or rims 6, andin the practice of my invention I provide a governor in which-` I'employ a casing'7, which is preferably cylindrical in form and which isbolted between the flanges or rims 6.

The casing 7 is open at one side, as shown at 8, and the opposite sidethereof is provided with transverse slots or openings 9, and mounted insaid casing is a valve 10, which is oblong in form and which is adaptedto slide between the side walls of the opening 8, and said valve isprovided with transverse openings 11, and connected with the lower endof the valve 10 is a valve-rod 12, which passes downwardly through atubular extension 13, formed on the lower side of the casing 7, andthrough a packing-box 14, and secured to the casing 7 are twodownwardly-directed screw-threaded parallel rods 15, to the lower endsof which is secured a cylinder 16, in-which is mounted a piston 17, withwhich the valve-rod 12 is` connected.

Mounted on the screw-threaded parallel rods 15 is a cross-bar 18, whichis provided with a central hub 19, through which the valve-rod 12passes, and the ends of the crossbar 18 are provided with tubular heads20, in which are mounted nuts 21, through which the rods 15 pass, and bymanipulating the nuts 21 the cross-rods 18 may be raised or lowered onsaid rods 15, and between the piston l5 and the central hub 19 of thecross-rod 18 is a spiral spring 22.

Formed in the walls of the cylinder 16 is an annular chamber 23, andcommunicating with said chamber are pipes 24 and 25, and in practicewater is forced through one of said `pi pes into said chamber underpressure and leaves said chamber through the opposite pipe, the objectof thus circulating the water through the annular chamber 22 being tokeep the cylinder 16 cool at all times.

Communicating with the cylinder 16, near the `lower end thereof, is anair-pipe 26, and on the opposite side of said cylinder and adjacent tothe lower end thereof is secured a tubular casing 27, the outer end ofwhich is closed by a screw-threaded plug 28, and the interior of saidcasing is in communication with the lower end of the cylinder 16 bymeans of a small port or passage 29, and said casing is providedadjacent to its inner end with ports or passages 30, which openoutwardly, and passing through the screw threaded plug 28 of the casing27 is a valve-rod 31, the inner end of which is provided with a valve32, which isadapted to close the port or passage 29and between the valve32 and the end of the plug 28 is a spring 33, which operates to forcethe valve 32 inwardly, so as to close the port orpassage 29,' and thepressure on the valve 32 may be regulated as desired by means of thescrew-threaded plug 28.

The lower end of the cylinder 16 is closed by a cylindrical plug 34,which is provided with a downwardly directed valve casing 35, and saidvalve-casing is provided with a IOO downwardly-directed extension 36,and passing centrally through the plug 34 and the valve-casing 35 andthe downwardly-directed extension 36 thereof is a longitudinal bore orpassage 37, and mounted in the valve-casing 35 is avalve 38, which isadapted to close the port or passage 37, and secured to the valvecasing35 is a quadrant-shaped plate 39, in which is formed a segmental orcircular slot 40, and the valve 38 is provided with a lever 41, which isprovided with a set-screw 42, which passes through the slot 40, wherebythe lever 41 may be locked in any desired position.

The piston 17 may be of any desired form or construction, and thevalve-rod 12 passes loosely through the hub 19 of the cross-rod 18, andby means of said cross-rod the pressure of the spring 22 on the piston17 maybe regulated as desired, the object of this spring being tonormally hold the piston 17 adjacent to the bottom of the cylinder 6 orin such position that it will not close the passage through the pipe 26and the port or passage 29, and in practice the pipe 26 is connectedwith an airpump, and the operation will be readily understood from theforegoing description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the following statement thereof.

In the normal position of the parts the piston 17 is at the lowest pointof its movement in the cylinder 16 and the steam is free to pass throughthe valve-casing 7, and when it is desired to run the engine to itsmaximum speed the valve 38 is wide open, and by adjusting the lever il.anyy desired speed may be obtained, it being understood that when thevalve 38 is closed or partially closed the pressure of the air beneaththe piston 17 will force said piston upwardly, and with it the valvelO,and the flow of the steam through the pipe 5 will be partially cut o,and this movement of the piston may be regulated at will by means of thelever l1 of the valve 38, and the operation of the engine may thus becontrolled atall times and under all conditions.

The object of the valve 32 is to provide an escape for the air from thelower end of the cylinder under certain conditions of pressure and isparticularly adapted to relieve back pressure caused by the momentum ofthe engine after the steam-supply is cut off.

The water flowing through the chamber 23 in the walls of the pistonkeeps said piston at a proper temperature at all times and prevents thesame from becoming heated by conduction from the valve-casing.

My improved governor is simple in construction and operation andperfectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended, andit will be apparent that changes in and modifications of the"construction described may be made without departing from the spirit ofmy invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a governor for marine and other engines, thecombination of an air-cylinder, a spring-controlled piston mountedtherein and means to admit air to said cylinder below said piston, adischarge-pipe communicating with said cylinder beneath said piston, ahandoperated valve mounted in said dischargepipe, and a supplementaldischarge-passage communicating with said cylinder beneath said piston,a supplemental cylinder with which said discharge-passage communicates,a screw-threaded plug mounted in the outer end of said cylinder andadjustable therein, a piston mounted in said cylinder, a pistonrodconnected therewith and passing through said adjustable plug, and aspring mounted on said piston-rod between said adjustable plug and saidpiston, whereby the tension of said spring is regulated by the'adjustment of said plug, said cylinder being provided with side.ports oropenings, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An improved governor for steam-engines, comprising a valve-casing, asliding valve mounted therein, a cylinder, brace-rods extending betweensaid valve-casing and the cylinder and connected with both of theseparts, a spring-controlled piston mounted in said cylinder and connectedwith the valve, means for supplying air under pressure to the cylinderbelow said piston, a chamber formed in the walls of the cylinder andextending around the same and an ingress and egress pipe communicatingwith said chamber, a discharge-pipe projecting from the end of thecylinder below the piston and provided with a hand-operated valve, and asupplemental discharge-passage communicating with the cylinder beneaththe piston and provided with a supplementary projecting cylinderinclosing a spring-actuated valve and provided with devices foradjusting said valve and with side ports or openin gs, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 27th day of May,1897.

EDWIN B. 'Fl'IORBUli-tN.4

Witnesses:

C. GERsT, A. C. VAN BLARcoM.

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